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Vet Alerted Officials in Dogs' Deadly Beating

Patrick Land awaits trial on charges he beat his then-girlfriends dogs to death. Loval veterinarian Monica Clare explains how she knew immediately something was wrong when the couple brought the dogs to her office after they had died. Mari Payton reports. (Published Thursday, May 26, 2011)

A local veterinarian, Dr. Monica Clare, said the dogs' owner and the suspect brought the dogs to her after they died last October.

When she started her examination, she immediately knew something was wrong.

"To see dogs that were apparently intentionally killed, yeah, it's unbelievable,” she said.

Clare is used to seeing dogs in desperate situations. She treats abused animals and crash victims.

“This was worse than many injuries sustained by car accidents because the amount of trauma was so severe," Clare said.

She saw Jackie and Pikanik after their sudden deaths in their College Area home.

Clare was the one who realized they were murdered.

“I think that at the time when it occurred to us, it was just so unimaginably barbaric and so bizarre," she said.

Clare told animal control the animals bled to death and suffered massive internal injuries.
She was shocked when Land was arrested.

“He lived with the dogs, he knew the dogs, he had brought the dogs," Clare said. "It was just so out of context.”

Land is also accused of killing his girlfriend's other dog, Josh, three weeks before Jackie and Pikanik died.

No exam was performed on that dog.

Clare hopes this case serves as a warning.

“I am sad that it happened," Clare said. "I hope people understand that animal abuse is something to keep an eye out for and something that will be taken seriously.”

Land's preliminary hearing was this week.

A judge decided there was enough evidence for the case to go to trial in August.